OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER YACHTING FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARIANS OFFICIAL NEWSLETTERFOR FORTHE THEINTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL YACHTING FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARIANS
R taFloat ISSUE 98 APRIL - JUNE 2015
Brazilian Schooner Cruise at Itacaruca
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THE COMMODORE’S MESSAGE
Dear Fellow Commodores and Mariners, I am the rst Italian Rotary Mariner to have successfully completed the full terms in the International Bridge. I have had the distinguished honor and pleasure to be your Commodore and this I will remember as my last period of Command. I have been a Naval Ofcer in my rst life but these long six years just completed, have been among the most intense and demanding of all my career. I have done my best to be a good Captain. I leave to all of you to say if I failed or not. Please forgive me if I have sometimes been rude and always too much mail - invasive.
I have been most happy to pass the helm and my five gold stars to the best wingman I have ever had. Jun has been always at my right side and his intelligent, generous, brotherly way of ac ng has made this bet of Bryans' come true. I am sure, that the next years will be s ll be er: he is a wonderful Leader and I will be honored to serve under his command. The nice, discrete, always present and generous help by Lil it has been something that Laura and I will never forget.
I have to thank Luigi Norsa our invaluable CoS sailing close to me at the other side of Jun; I have to thank the brilliant, precise and pa ent Interna onal Treasurer Andrè Gorgemans and Bryan Skinner, who has been my North Star since the beginning of this voyage. I have to thank Guillermo and all the Interna onal Staff for their con nuous and generous support that allowed me to complete the full period of my Commodoreship. I want to thank all the predecessors of mine for all what I could learn by them. But more than anybody else I have to thank Nani, (very few call her Laura any- more), who has supported me especially in the difficult moments that, as you may well imagine, we
have encountered and had to face. Her understanding, pa ence, sweetness, her constant tender loving care gave me the extra power when it was needed most. A er these two years I am glad to state that our Great IYFR is in a good health and proceeding on course and speed. Actually I am proud to say that this Administra on has done a tremendously good job and the figures speak clear by themselves. In these last two years we have chartered 16 new Fleet, rescued and saved the Crimea Fleet and our immediate future is forecasted even more brilliant. This year we chartered the Fleet of Chile-Puerto Varas, the Czech and Slovak Fleet in Opava, the Hellenic Ionian Fleet in Preveza and the Manila Dragon Fleet during the AGM gala dinner. Could the Fellowship, the IB and myself ask for a be er conclusion? It is no more a secret that possibly within the next six months, the new Fleets Rumania, Hellenic Aegean and Ste n are going to be chartered. There are more than rumors that Squadrons and eventually Fleets are being cons tuted in Lithuania, Montenegro, Ukraine and in the Philippines. In other words, I am happy with this situa on; the air we are breathing and feeling into our sails is a good air that can push us wherever we desire.
Mabuhay dear Jun, I will be honored to serve under your Command. All the best dear Friends. Thanks again to all of you dear Commodores and Mariners: you have been a wonderful Crew of a very lucky Captain! Yours
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A Letter from a Friend
Dear Sergio Santi our International Commodore, dear all of you distinguished members of our International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians present in Sao Paolo for the convention . Two years had passed since Sergio had taken the tiller arm and here we are to say from the bottom of our hearts thanks to him who had lead us all , with pride and success making our wonderful fellowship spread over the seas. Sergio the man of very many years of military carrier joined IYFR at 2007 to become the International Commodore, being very active performing his service by leading the fellowship to become more effective and vivid. Sergio the man with infinite capabilities to guide, humble spirit able to listen to each of us, and the most, a true man full of human compassion and wide heart, values which in Yiddish or Hebrew is called a mensch, what he is and what you are Sergio. So let me send to Sergio Santi my friend as well as to Laura who is al ways near by a huge hug on behalf of all of you and also of mine, toasting for you with Israeli wine and with your smile embracing all the fleets members saying again and again :
AISA, AISA, AISA. ACCALA, ACCALA, ACCALA . ACCOSTA ,ACCOSTA, ACCOSTA, E BEVIMMO ALLA SALUTE NOSTRA. Zeev IC Special Assistant but first of all friend.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
IC message .........................................................................2 Le er from a Friend............................................................3 Bridge Directory..................................................................4 Treasurer’s Report ..............................................................5 Chief of Staff and Webmaster Report..................................6 AREA 1 NEWS I. Eulogy to Mike Thilo .......................................................8 II. The Unconven onal Napoli 2015 AGM Tale.....................8 III. IYFR - Sailing days from Napoli to Capri in Italy and in Le ada in Greece............................10 IV. The Hellenic Chartering Ceremony ...............................13 V. Epistoli Rotary ..............................................................15 VI. Solidaridad de los Clubs Rotarios Y Marinos de IYFR con los niños keniatas...............18 VII. Sailing in Croa a at the Rotary Rega a with IYFR.......................................20 VIII. Tradi onal Slovenian Rotary rega a Carniola 2015 has beaten all expecta ons.............22 IX. Sailing for Tomorrow.....................................................23 X. Proud Grandpa..............................................................27 XI. IYFR IZMIR FILOSU.........................................................27 AREA 2 NEWS XII. Sao Paolo RI Conven on HOF, AGM, Gala Dinner..........................................28 XIII. PCC Paraty, Angra Dos Reis and Rio Copacabana............................................34 XIV. The Sea le Rotary Mariners.......................................39 AREA 3 NEWS XV. The Hong Kong Fleet Fellowship Ac vi es....................40 XVI. Cruise of a Life me.....................................................41 XVII. Queensland Fleet.......................................................42 XVIII. 111th IYFR Dragon Fleet............................................44 XIX. Area 3 AGM in Auckland in Feb 2016...........................45 XIX. Rotary Fellowship Month............................................45 Editor's Note .....................................................................47
About the Cover:
The Brazilian Schooner Cidade de Mangara ba a 100 ton+ wooden boat at the port of Itacuruca. Similar boats da ng back to the 14th century have plied the Atlan c oceans and open seas and rivers carrying the infamous slaves and other trades from Africa to the Amazon. 55 IYFoRians and their mates had the thrill of cruising on a renowned historic Brazilian boat to Juagaru, one of the 365 islands in Brazil under drizzling weather that did not dampen their spirits. Bo omless Caiperinhas and other refreshments were available on board and a gastronomic lunch in the local tradi on were served in the beau ful small island.
BRIDGE DIRECTORY
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TREASURER’S REPORT
by Andre Gorgemans ITR Report to the IYFR Board As it was the case with my predecessors the IT is in a very uncomfortable posi on to report that it is extremely difficult to follow, control and reconcile the movement of the regalia inventory. This is the only real challenge that an IT might encounter when accep ng this posi on. I have been unable to garner in me before the annual conven on the reconcilia on of the movements of cash and the movements of inventory. I do strongly recommend that in the future each area responsible for the upkeep of the area inventory prepares for every movements pro forma invoices so one can keep track of the incoming cash and of the intra area transfers. Another recommenda on I would venture is to try to reduce substan ally the SKU count ( stock keeping unit ) carried in the IYFR inventory. I would be more than willing to organize a review mee ng and examine in neutrality while examining past historical data of sales movements of the exis ng list and make some recommenda ons. In the past former IT have mostly all complained about the difficulty in keeping a be er control of the regalia inventory and recording the sales and corresponding profit generated. In some years IYFR has experienced even losses on sale of regalia which seems to indicate that the inventory movements were not properly recorded. The other main issue relates to the various bank accounts that the IYFR keeps. The IYFR has currently 6 bank accounts : • 2 accounts ( $ and € ) at Unicredit in Italy which will be closed a er Sergio's term, • one $ account in Montevideo which carries high monthly charges as already men oned in last year IT report, • one $ account at Wells Fargo in the USA with a minimum bank charge, • one $ account in the Philippines, • one $ Pay pal account.
Cash Movements 2014/ April 30th 2015
€ Unicredit $ Unicredit Pay Pal Wells Fargo Uruguay Philippines total Regalia inventory Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 total Grants paid to date
Opening balance
Balance 4.30.2015
2’254.80 95’370.83 6.96 799.57 2’097.02 12’914.20
8’370.36 62’607.08 6.69 3’771.67 2’649.41 7’537.96
113’443.38
84’943.44
In order to control be er the movements of cash it is vital that copies of invoices be sent to the IT so he can keep track of the incoming cash movements ( sale of inventory ) and encourage the fleets when paying their yearly dues to send an email confirma on to the IT ( so we can reconcile without delays the payee ) and jus fy the expenses incurred with a copy of the invoices paid. The fiscal year 30th 2015 and need to report inventory under
will be closed without delays on June area regalia inventory responsible will the status in units and value of the their respec ve control.
Another point which I feel should be addressed at the conven on is the methodology and modus operandi of the distribu on of grants. If I understand well the current situa on, the grants are given out under normal condi ons to the areas propor onately to the total membership of each area. I would suggest that this system be revised and that grants are only given out by assessing only the virtues of the projects presented and not necessarily given out to the areas that have the most members. I feel a permanent commi ee should be set up to review the merits of each project and distribute the funds accordingly. I believe also that it is be er and probably more impac ul for IYFR to concentrate on a few projects rather than the mul plicity of projects funded. It would also be a good idea to get a follow--up of the various projects that have been funded in the past and request the receiving end to make a report illustrated by photos that could be posted on the IYFR website and in the Rotafloat. The IT stays at the disposal of the board members to answer any ques ons you might have. Budget proposal 2015/2016 ($) Income Fleet dues Regalia sales
30’000 7’000
Total income
37’000
Expenses Regalia cost of sales Adm @ Office expenses Website maintenance Bank Charges Allowances I.C. I.R.C. I.V.C.
5’000 2’000 1’000 2’000 6’000 2’500 1’500
Grants
20’000
15’864.07 6’175.54 3’442.92
10’621.41 6’413.99 5’946.42
25’482.53
22’981.82
Total expenses
40’000
29’000
Profit (Loss)
-3’000
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Chief of Staff and Webmaster Report
by Luigi Norsa COS Dear Friends, As you know we have made during the last two years some modifica ons to the IYFR interna onal website. The main modifica on was related to adopt a system of content management for the public area of the website, in order to allow an easy update of it without reques ng par cular IT skills to the officers responsible. In order to minimize the costs we have maintained the previous structure for the “members only” area and we have not modified the database of the members. We have also added some features to the website – both in the public area (i.e. the calendar of events and the fleet map) both in the members only area (i.e. a blog for members, the virtual POS, a web file management func on to make easier the uploading of documents and the update of the fleet map).
One of the main advantages of the fellowship is that it is an environment that overcomes the borders of a club, of a district, of a country. It's an environment that allows to build friendship with people sharing the same interest in the various countries. The website is a tool that can help in this: The “search for a specific individual” u lity allows to find people by city, so if you plan to travel abroad you can find people you can contact for advice, informa on and support. In the event calendar you can check if there is any interes ng events you could like to a end, you could use the members forum to open a discussion about a problem you are interest in – should it where to find a spare part for your boat that you don't find in the yacht chandler close to you or where you could berth during a cruise or which is a suggested recipe to cook something!
The Interna onal website is a tool that address different objec ves: 1. It's a tool aimed to promote the Fellowship, let it known and hire new poten al members 2. It's a tool by which the fellowship communicate to the mariners, delivering news and rotafloat issues , making available documents – for example the General Rules are available in all languages – allowing officers to mass mailing to the members 3. It's an administra ve tools, allowing the maintenance of the members roster, the management of payments by credit card and the filing of key documents for fleet officers.
Of course, what it is needed to improve our website is · Recommend your mariners to surf the website · Check and update the members email address, this is a crucial task, otherwise we risk people don't receive the communica on and gradually our dominion is blacklisted · Post on the Forum, it will leave only if there are interes ng discussions · Communicate the events of your fleet, before they happen in order to have it listed in the calendar and a er to report a news about what happened (pictures are welcome!) · Post on the Forum, it will leave only if there are interes ng discussions
I would like to give you few data about the performance of the website, not boring you with too many details interes ng only to NERDS.
Last but not least, occasionally the database gives some problems – e.g. when somebody is assigned to a new posi on, fleet secretary for example, not always the database gives to him the proper creden als – it can happen that he appears as Secretary in the bridge, but the system consider him s ll as simple fleet member. If you have such problem, don't panic let me know and we will promptly solve it!
We register an average of about 300 visits daily with weekly visits ranging from 1300 to 1600 visits, depending from the year quarter. About 50% of the visits are from North America, Area 1 accounts for about 30% - these data don't differen ate visitors among mariners and curious. You should consider that our Area accounts for about 60% of the mariners and North America only for less than 15%. There is for sure an influence related to the language barrier, but we have to think about it. If we look at the countries were the visitors are, 10% are Britons, again a language factor probably, about 6% from France, 3% from Germany, 2% from Italy. Another data I would like to share with you, is about the “members only” area. As you know, when you add a new member, he receives automa cally a username and password to login.
Well, 67% of the mariners of Area 1 never logged in. 10% did it one only me. And if we have some tens of members that are “Heavy” users, having logged more than 100 mes, 95% entered the this area of the website less than 10 mes.
Many thanks for your a en on. Post Report: At the AGM in Sao Paulo have been communicated the results of the votes expressed about the amendments to the General Rules, to the Procedures and Regula ons and to the Flags, Uniform and Boa ng Prac ce. The amendments proposed by the Amendments Commi ee have been approved by the large majority of the fellowship: 59.86% of the IYFR sent its vote and the proposed amendments resulted approved by 98.86% of the voters against 1.14% of contrary votes. The English version of the amended General Rules, Procedures and Regula ons and Flags, Uniform and Boa ng Prac ce have been uploaded in the website under “IYFR Documents” and can be downloaded from there. The Regional Commodores will take care of upda ng the transla on of the General Rules in the various languages in the next weeks and it will be gradually uploaded in the “General Rules” folder of the “Documents for members sec on of the “members only” area of the website, as it will be ready. For the informa on of everyone, hereunder is a spreadsheet indica ng the vo ng by Areas, Region and Fleets.
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AREA 1 NEWS FVC MIKE THILO RIP
EULOGY TO MIKE THILO Mike Thilo sadly cast off on his final journey on 2nd June 2015, aged 73 years, when he finally succumbed to cancer, which he had bravely fought for a number of years. He was s ll forward looking up to the end, which came upon him very quickly and was a surprise to us all. He had been with us at the Area 1 mee ng in Naples in April and was upbeat and looking forward very much to future IYFR mee ngs, which he always enjoyed and supported. Mike joined IYFR in 2010 and was a member of the Fenland Fleet, Great Britain and Ireland, and the Broads Fleets, before it disbanded. He was currently Vice Commodore of the Fenland Fleet, and, as he had his boat on the Norfolk Broads, he was also a member of the new Broads Squadron, a ached to the Fenland Fleet, which he hoped to help to develop to form a fleet once again. He was an enthusias c IYFORian and was keen to offer help in any way he could, even at Area level. He was a true gentleman and a real friend and sadly leaves his wife, Jenny, a son and a daughter. He also had a brother, Alan, who lives in Australia, but happily, met up with Mike in Naples at the recent Area 1 mee ng. Mike will be sadly missed by all who knew him and our thoughts are very much with Jenny and the family.
IRC A1C Bob Burns THE UNCONVENTIONAL NAPOLI 2015 AGM TALE
by IC Sergio Santi Before or later it had to happen: the idea was not mine but Luigi's, our Italian Region Commodore, who having been requested by the DG 2100 (Italy South West) Giancarlo Spezie to organize the first mee ng of the Italian Fellowships, possibly in Naples, thought to invite to the Mee ng also the IYFORIAN Friends from all the Area. Also if it was rather early for such an extraordinary Annual General Mee ng, also given the loca on and the possibility to link the event to the Charter Ceremony of the First Greek Fleet to be celebrated in close proximity, AC Bob Burns gave his OK and the organiza on work started. As usual in these circumstances, a er the ini al euphoria, the real organiza on problem started. The only on site reliable organiza on was the Napoli IYFR Fleet Bridge, Commodore Gaetano and Treasurer Umberto who took all the weight of the commercial side, opened an account and appointed a
permanent smart Secretary, Mrs Elvira Cherubini who was in con nuous contact with all the organizing Commi ee. At the same me Alberto Bagnasco from Genova and Luigi Falanga from Catania where con nuing their organiza on work, some mes hard, to coordinate with the Napoli Fleet and the other (10) Italian Fellowships that had declared would be present at the event. Then the great day arrived and while the other Fellowships were having their mee ngs, tournaments, biking, motoring, tennis, etc. sessions, IYFR was represented at the highest possible level by PIC Bryan and Chris, IVC Jun and Lil (coming from the Philippines) AC Bob and Anne, IT Andrè, CoS Luigi and Annarita, IC Special Assistant Zeev and Ludmilla and the RCs or their subs tutes of Iberia, GB&I, East of Europe, East of Mediterranean, East of Africa and the Fleet Commodores and Mariners coming from Sweden, Israel, Spain, GB&I,
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Switzerland, Poland, Slovak Republic and Kenya. Of course there where all the Italian Commodores and many Mariners from the Italian Fleet. A par cular men on for The Slovak PDG Thomas Lang and his wife Agnes that where celebra ng their 50th wedding Anniversary in Naples where they had been for their honeymoon. The longest distance contest was won by Alan Thilo, coming from Sydney, second and third ex aequo by Jun & Lil, coming from Manila. An impressive long way! Naples gave us 4 unforge able sunny days, a beau ful Meet and Greet in the famous Medina Restaurant, a glimpse of one of the most beau ful Italian Museum in the Capodimonte Royal Palace, two most enjoyable days at sea sailing to Capri and Ischia, dinner at the two most ancient Napoli Royal Yacht Club and…. a “Made in Napoli” AGM! The idea of mixing up all these events, even if in principle most brilliant, did not prove the be er feasible at the end: too many events / mee ngs /celebra ons/speeches/power points/medicine lectures/rewards handling etc. at the same me requested a coordina on that was not always available
with “Teutonic” precision . But these are not quali es one expects to find arriving in Naples The most important thing is that more than one hundred Iyforians and their Partners coming from 11 different Countries had the opportunity to meet and have fun together: the AIZA AIZA AIZA where countless as countless were the bo les of Falanghina that kept evapora ng in any possible occasion. It was also noted with pleasure that the Neapolitan cheers have more and more turned into a sound, strong and good luck MABUHAY! Only for sta s cal purposes here are a few figures regarding the event: . Fellowships actually a ending . Countries represented . Rotary Districts represented . Area 1 AGM par cipants . Savoia YC welcome dinner . Medina Meet & Greet . Capri, Ischia, Sorrento sail to . Gala Dinner
8 11 14 63 52 139 115 223
Aiza Aiza Aiza!
Welcome Dinner, Meet and Greet, AGM and AGM Gala Dinner
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IYFR - Sailing days from Napoli to Capri in Italy and in Lefkada in Greece
by Zeev Matar Special Asst to the IC IYFR is not only Fellowship but mainly friendship, and our doing is based on sailing in joy and fun.
Interna onal Commodore Sergio San on one gulet and on the other one Jesus 'Jun' Avecilla International Vice Commodore.
So this is the story of 2 different sailing days which had le in all of the par cipants enthusiasm embraced by friendship. During Area 1 Conven on in Napoli 23-27 April 2015 IYFR had gathered many friends from different Fleets from Italy as well as Fleets coming from England, Israel, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden for a sailing day from Napoli to Capri island. Sunny day had smiled to all the Fellowship traveling to departure port eager to sail. Two Turkish gulets wooden built had waited for us for the cruise taking on each about 25 friends headed by our
Raising burgee decal for boat and out of port reminded me the famous Neapolitan song Santa Lucia “On the sea shines the silver light. Quiet is the wave favorable is the wind. Come to my swiftly boat! Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!”
So we crossed the waves and tested sweets seated on front deck, smelling the salted sea water and enjoying the light breeze. Not long me had passed and all of us from Italy and Spain from Poland Philippines and Israel became one crop embraced by sailing spirit and spirit of wine.
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B e i n g s e r v e d w i t h g o o d a p e r i f fo l l o w e d b y Neapolitan pasta mixed with sea food, our sailing got color of true shining sun. Was it the fantas c chilly white wine or was it the fresh air but in order to get from Jun the IYFR Philippines pin we had to swear. So we became believers to admit the ques on of Jun “do you believe that Mozzarella cheese was invented in the Philippines” , and the fun mixed with white wine made it become a huge smile with the Philippines toast of Mabuhay, and the pin arrived to each shirt or dress with grace. We arrived to the mysterious Faraglioni, the famous oceanic rocks forma on in the southern coast of Capri, incredible scenery made by the forces of nature, so big and proud to dominate the sea. Landing in port of Capri for short me and back sailing to Napoli while the lovely song of the Isle of Capri was singing in me “I sailed with the de in the morning s ll my hearts on the Isle of Capri”, and this was the second happiest me of our day. Polish Vodka from Pioter Pajdowski started its way from glass to more of the same and most of us were happy to dance to sing and to laugh. So two liters of vodka had gone as well as Italian Grappa and other two liters of Limencello, wrapped our souls to meet fun and joy. The captain of the gullet invited one of our girls for quick dance, while the more of us were moving in circle dancing and singing by the holy spirit of worm feelings due to 4 bo les of wines.
With this breeze so sweet, oh, how lovely it is to be on a boat! With this breeze so sweet, oh, how lovely it is to be on a boat! Come on passengers, come away! Santa Lucia Santa Lucia! So we went down from the boat even though willing to stay, headed by Jun who was waking and dancing guided by the spirits we had all absorbed to our veins. Arrivederci Napoli, toas ng to all our sailing friends Mabuhay, Mabuhay ll the next sailing day in the most beau ful Neapolitan bay. On the 30.4.2015 we had come to Greece for the Chartering Ceremony of the Hellenic Ionian Fleet.
We gained new friends and enjoyed interes ng excre ons as well as grate Greek food while toas ng each other in the name of our wonderful fellowship IYFR with sympathe c Rotarians from District 2470 in Greece. 1 of May 2015 departure for Nydri, Le ada and embarka on for sea excursion through beau ful islands “planted” in the sea. “Oasis” of blue sea of quietness painted with colors of the sun as if Van Gogh would have painted this scenery. Sergio San and Jun Avecilla had raised IYFR burgee while English mixed with Greek conversa ons blessed our Fellowship by the ancient gods of Greece. We approached the Papanicolis sea cave located in the island of Meganisi which is the second largest cave in Greece, During World War II by virtue of being secret hide way for the submarine Papanicolis which used to a ack the Italian armada and returned to the hidden cave. Wine was missing but our lungs had been breathing fresh air, while we approached nearby the island of Scorpios, a private island which was the estate of Aristotle Onassis who married their the US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968. Lovely hours of gathering, speaking, laughing and taking pictures of wonderful picturesque Ionian Islands which bless this marvels country for centuries. The sailing me ended in a Greek restaurant with good lunch, toasted by Sergio San our Interna onal Commodore The sailing me ended in a Greek restaurant with good lunch, toasted by Sergio San our Interna onal Commodore A I SA , A I SA , A I SA . AC C A L A , AC C A L A , AC C A L A ACCOSTA ,ACCOSTA, ACCOSTA, E BEVIMMO ALLA SALUTE NOSTRA Followed by Jun, toas ng with great smile, MABUHAY, MABUHAY, MABUHAY, while we were all looking for good ouzo or wine.
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The Hellenic Chartering Ceremony
by Zeev Matar Special Asst to the IC
On 2 of May 2015 the Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians had gone through an historic event, the founda on of the First Greek Fleet named by the Ionian Sea in the city of Preveza, where the fleet will be based.
Congratula ons to my friend Aris Zachos the first Commodore of the Hellenic Ionian fleet and to all Chartering members of the fleet, mariners and officers - Συγχαρητήρια and good luck - καλή τύχη.
Finally a er very long year from the point of lunching my idea to our Interna onal Commodore Sergio San , we had reached the target and my dream come true, “As I gaze upon the sea! All the old roman c legends, all my dreams, come back to me" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
IYFR will support you, looking forward for the Hellenic Ionian Fleet integra on within IYFR ac vi es shearing ini a ves with the fleets in your area.
Thanks to my friend Sergio San who had backed me as well as the incoming Hellenic Ionian Bridge with warm approval and great enthusiasm and encouragement as well as by my reless friend Luigi Norsa IYFR Chief of Staff. The Chartering ceremony took place in “Margarona Royal” Hotel in Preveza Saturday evening at 21.00 within very elegant ball room around rounded tables which had gathered over 150 friends in wonderful atmosphere of friendship and harmony. Greek food toasted with fabulous wines while Italian, Greek and English music had embraced each of the invited to feel this magic event, seated under huge chandeliers which had lightened the ceremony. A minute of contempla on followed by the Greek and Italian hymn followed by welcome addressed by Anna G. Roumpou President RC Preveza 2013-2015 and by Aris Zachos the incoming Commodore of the Hellenic Ionian Fleet. As by IYFR tradi on the new Hellenic Ionian Fleet had been chartered officially by the assignment of the official chartering document by the Interna onal Commodore Segio San followed by personal Chartering documents to Bridge officers including ranks assignments. This Chartering event had gathered a unique IYFR delega on headed by Sergio San the Interna onal Commodore with his dear wife Laura Padoan the Regalia Officer from Italy, Jesus 'Jun' Avecilla Interna onal Vice Commodore from Manila, Philippines with his dear wife Lil, Ferit Biren Past Interna onal Commodore from Turkey, Selda Gerson Region Commodore Turkey-Israel-Greece from Turkey, Luigi Norsa Chief of Staff with his dear wife Annarita from Italy and Vincenzo Rinaldi Rear Commodore South East Fleet Italy with his dear wife Leonora.
My first star ng personal message to our Greek Rotarians translated and published in Greek in the official Districts newsle er year ago was the following message: “We shall be grateful to all of you, women and men willing to join our Rotarian Fellowship and share with me and with all of our members the vision that IYFR has a mission to bridge the divides between people so that the sea can unite na ons which the oceans separate”. This dream could not be achieved if not by true collabora on with my close friend Katerina Kotsali-Papadimitriou Vice Commodore of the Hellenic Ionian Fleet and my friend Aris Zachos Commodore of the Hellenic Ionian Fleet as well as by so many wonderful s u p p o r te rs f ro m D i st r i c t 2 4 7 0 & D i st r i c t 2 4 8 4 . Thanks to all our wonderful Rotarian friends from District 2470 & District 2484 who had come to embrace our fellowship and feel part of the historic event of the chartering of the Hellenic Ionian Fleet. And last infinite thanks to Rotarian Lena Loverdou from District 2470 who organized 3 days program of excursions of great interest to all of the coming for the Chartering event. Lena had entered to our hearts with her happiness and high spirit and incredible sense of organiza on. I shall end the ar cle with the following quota on of Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.”
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Epistoli Rotary
by DG Marianna Kaloeida English Translation by PDG FVC Katerina Kotsali Papadimitriou μι λούν και για ένα δεύτερο Στόλο σ την Αθήνα τον Σεπτέμβριο και ενδεχομένως ένα στο Montenegro”. Τα 44 ιδρυτικά μέλη του Στόλου προέρχονται από ροταριανούς Ομίλους και των δύο ελληνικών Περιφερειών , ανάμεσα
IYFR και Rotary Days πλαίσια της Διεθνούς Ομάδας Συναδέλφωσης Ροταριανών Φίλων Σκαφών Αναψυχής (Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians) είναι πλέον πραγματικότητα. Στις 2Μαΐου 2015 σε μία λαμπρή τελετή , στην Πρέβεζα στο Ξενοδοχείο Μαρ- γαρώνα, έγινε η Επίδοση Χάρτας του Ελληνικού Στόλου του Ιονίου. Στην συναδέλφωση ,που εκτείνεται γεωγραφικά στην Ανατολική Μεσό- γειο συμμετέχουν η Τουρκία, το Ισραήλ και η Ελλάδα. Η πρωτοβου- λία ανήκει στον Zeev Matar από το Ισραήλ, Ειδικό Βοηθό του Interna- onal Commodore και προωθήθηκε αρχικά στην χώρα μας ,από την π.Δ. Κ α τ ε ρ ίν α Κο τ σ α λ ή - Π α παδ η μ η - τρίου. Η Γέφυρα (Bridge) του Στόλου του Ιονίου αποτελείται από τον Commodore (Κυβερνήτη) , π.Δ. Άρη Ζάχο, Vice Commodore π.Δ. Κατερίνα Κοτσαλή-Παπαδημητρίου , Rear Commodore Δ. Κώστα Καρβούνη, Γραμματέα Δημήτρη Πιτσινίγκο, Ταμία Ντίνο Μπομποτσάρη. Ο Vice Interna onal Commodore Jun Avecilla γράφει ''Δεν έχω ποτέ δει τόσο μεγάλη και ισχυρή στή- ριξη από πρώην, ενεργούς και μελλοντικούς ηγέτες κάποιας Ροταριανής Περιφέρειας , σε καμία χώρα του κόσμου , αναμφίβολα ήδη
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τους, πλέον των προαναφερθέντων, από την 2470 ΠΔΡ ο Εψηφισμένος Διοικητής Γρηγόρης Γρηγορόπουλος, ο Υποδεδειγμένος Διοικητής Απόστολος Μαμάτας, παρόντες στην Τελετή, και ο π.Δ. Γιώργος Κατσίλας. Ο Interna onal Commodore, Sergio San , από την Ιταλία, επέδωσε την Χάρτα Ίδρυσης του Ελληνικού Στόλου του Ιονίου, μαζί με τον Past Interna onal Commodore, Ferrit Biren και την Region Commodore Selda Gerson από και οι Vicenzo Rinaldi, Commodore του Στόλου της Αδριατικής , η Sevinc Kuyas αξιωματούχος στόλου της Τουρκίας και ο Special Assistant Zeev Matar. Στην πολυπληθή εκδήλωση εκπρο- σωπήθηκαν 32 Όμιλοι και από τις δύο ελληνι- κές Περιφέρειες. Την οργανωτική ευθύνη είχε ο Ροταριανός Όμιλος Πρέβεζας υπό την Πρόεδρο Άννα Ρούμπου. Η βραδιά έκλεισε με πολύ κέφι και χορό. Η Ίδρυση του Στόλου του Ιονίου πλαισιώ- θηκε με πολλές παράλληλες εκδηλώσεις συνα- δέλφωσης , περιηγήσεις και επισκέψεις σε αρχαιολογικούς χώρους . Η 2470 ΠΔΡ οργάνω- σε εκδρομή στην οποία συμμετείχαν περισσότεροι από 50 ροταριανοί και ροταριανές με συζύγους . Την Πρωτομαγιά οι εκδρομείς και οι ξένοι φιλοξενούμενοι απήλαυσαν μία θαυμά- σια κρουαζιέρα στην Λευκάδα, στο Νυδρί, στα νησιά Μαδουρί και Σκορπιός και στη συνέχεια στο Νυδρί με φόντο τον αδριάντα του Αριστο- τέλη Ωνάση, με συναδέλφους Ροταριανούς της Λευκάδας ,γιόρτασαν μία Ημέρα Ρόταρυ ενημερώνοντας το κοινό για τους σκοπούς του Ρόταρυ. Επίσης είχαν την ευκαιρία να επισκεφθούν το Κοινωνικό Παντοπωλείο του νησιού , τον εξοπλισμό του οποίου προσέφερε ο Ροτα- ριανός Όμιλος Λευκάδας, μέσω Απλοποιη- μένης Χορηγίας Περιφέρειας. Τους επισκέπτες υποδέχθηκε ο Αντιδήμαρχος Λευκάδας κ. Αθανάσιος Περδικάρης.
Η εκδήλωση καλύφθηκε από τα ΜΜΕ και δόθηκαν συνεντεύξεις τύ- που από τους δύο Διοικητές και τους Αξιωμα- τούχους του IYFR. Θερμές ευχαριστίες στον Zeev Matar για την ιδέα Ίδρυσης του Στόλου ,στην π.Δ. Κατερίνα Κοτσαλή-Παπαδημητρίου για τις συντονισμέ- νες ενέργειες, στην Β.Δ. Μαγιόρκα Τριαντα- φύλλου, Πρόεδρο της Επιτροπής Συναδελφώσεων της Περιφέρειας, για την στελέχωση του Στόλου, στις π.Β.Δ. Λελίνα Κασιμάτη και ρ. Λίλα Κυριακοπούλου για την φιλοξενία των ξένων αξιωματούχων. Τέλος ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στην π.Β.Δ. Λένα Λοβέρδου για την άριστη οργάνωση της εκδρομής και στον π.Π. Αντώνη Παπανδρέου για την εξαιρετική ξενάγηση Εύχομαι κάθε επιτυχία στον Ελληνικό Στόλο του Ιονίου. Καλή πλεύση….
Το Σάββατο επισκέφθηκαν το Νεκρομαντείο του Αχέρωντα και την πανέμορφη Πάργα. Ροταριανοί και των δύο ροταριανών Περιφερειών γιόρτασαν ακό- μα μία Ημέρα Ρόταρυ στους γραφι- κούς δρόμους της Πρέβεζας. Την Κυριακή παίρνοντας τον δρό- μο της επιστροφής ,οι εκδρομείς επι- σκέφθηκαν την αρχαία Νικόπολη και το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πρέβεζας Η όλη εκδήλωση και οι παράλλη- λες εκδηλώσεις ήταν μία αξέχαστη εμπειρία και μία εξαιρετική ευκαιρία ροταριανής συναδέλφωσης.
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IYFR AND ROTARY DAYS The establishment of the first Greek fleet within the frame of the Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians is now a reality. On May 2nd 2015, in a brilliant ceremony in Preveza Margarona Hotel, the Charter of the Ionian Greek Fleet was awarded. The fellowship, which extends geographically in Eastern Mediterranean sea, includes Turkey, Israel and Greece. The ini a ve belongs to Zeev Matar from Israel, Special Assistant of Interna onal Commodore and was ini ally promoted in our country by PDG Katerina KotsaliPapadimitriou. The Bridge of the Ionian Fleet is composed of Commodore PDG Aris Zahos, Vice Commodore PDG Katerina KotsaliPapadimitriou, Rear Commodore DG Kostas Karvounis, Secretary Dimitris Pitsinigos, Treasurer N nos Bobotsaris. The Vice Interna onal Commodore Jun Avecilla notes << I have never seen such great and keen support from past, present and future Leaders of any Rotary Districts in any country in the world no wonder they are already talking of a second Fleet in Athens in September and another in Montenegro>>. The 44 Fleet founding members come from Rotarian Clubs of both Greek Districts, among them, except from the previously men oned ones, from 2470 District the Governor Elect Grigoris Grigoropoulos, the Governor Nominee Apostolos Mamatas who were also present at the ceremony. PDG George Katsilas, not present, is also a founding member. The Interna onal Commodore, Sergio San , from Italy, together with Vice Commodore Jun Avecilla from Phillipines, the Past Interna onal Commodore Ferrit Biren and Region Commodore Selda Gerson from Turkey awarded the Charter of the Ionian Greek Fleet. The celebra ng ceremony was honored by the presence of both of the Governors of the two Greek Districts Marianna Kaloeida (D2470) and Kostas Karvounis (D-2484). Also present were from 2470 PDG Giannis Iliakis and from 2484 PDG Panos Tzoumas and PDG Kostas Kotsis, as well as the Nominees Kostas Petridis and Chrisa Tselepi. From the IYFR leadership, except from the above men oned, the ceremony was a ended by Chief of Staff Luigi Norsa and the FRC Of the Italy SE Fleet Vincenzo Rinaldi, the officer of the Turkey Fleet Sevinc Kuyas and Special Assistant Zeev Matar. In the ceremony, a ended by many par cipants, 32 Clubs from both Greek Districts were represented. The Rotary Club Preveza under the President Anna Roumpou had the
organiza onal responsibility. The night was over with lots of fun and dancing. The establishment of the Ionian Fleet was followed by various parallel fellowship events, tours and visits to archeological sites. RID 2470 organized an excursion, in which par cipated more than 50 Rotarians, along with their partners. On May 1st the par cipants and foreign guests enjoyed a marvelous cruise to Le ada, Nydri, Madouri and Scorpios islands and a erwards, in Nidri, under Aristotels Onasis' statue, along with Le ada Rotarians, they celebrated a Rotary Day by informing the public about Rotary's cause. Furthermore, they had the opportunity to visit the island's Social Super Market, the equipment of which was offered by the Rotary Club Le ada, through a Simplified District Grant. Le ada Vice Mayor Mr. Athanasios Perdikaris welcomed the visitors. On Saturday, they visited the Acheronta's Nekromanteion and the beau ful Parga. Rotarians from both Rotarian Districts celebrated one more Rotary Day in the picturesque streets of Preveza. On Sunday, on the way back, the par cipants and guests visited ancient Nikopolis and Preveza's Archeological Museum. The whole event as well as the side events was an unforge able experience and a great opportunity of Rotarian fellowship. The event was covered by the Mass Media and press conferences were given from the two Governors and the IYFR Officers. Warm thanks to Zeev Matar for the idea of establishing the Fleet, to PDG Katerina Kotsali-Papadimitriou for the coordinated ac ons, to AG Mayorka Triantafyllou, President of D-2470 Fellowships Commi ee for the fleet staffing, to PAG Lelina Kassima and Rot. Lila Kyriakopoulou for hos ng the foreign officers. Many thanks for the excep onal tour organiza on to PAG Lena Loverdou and for the outstanding sightseeing tour to PP Antonis Papandreou. I wish the Greek Fleet of the Ionian every success. Good Winds.
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Solidaridad de los Clubs Rotarios Y Marinos de IYFR con los niños keniatas
Por Bernardo Rabassa Asenjo las juntas direc vas enen una duración de un solo año, aunque pasados varios se puede repe r, pero no perdurar, eso en toda la organización desde el Presidente mundial a los Gobernadores de Distrito, las elecciones son estrictamente democrá cas, La Gran obra de la fundación rotaria mundial ha sido de una parte la lucha contra la Polio hasta su ex nción en el Mundo, la de a favor de la Paz, fueron los rotarios los que crearon la ONU, y los miles de becas de estudio para internacionalizar jóvenes que no pueden ser hijos de rotarios. Las principales ac vidades de esta campaña médica ejemplo que yo coordino, se centran básicamente en el uso de un barco ambulancia y la realización de visitas a todas las Islas del archipiélago de Lamu y el con nente:Específicas para mejorar la salud y prevenir la mortalidad asociada a enfermedades infecciosas prevenibles y enfermedades del corazón, en la población infan l de Lamu.
Se trata de una campaña marí ma y con nental para mejorar la salud y cuidado de la salud de niños en LAMU archipiélago y con nental área que la rodea en (Kenya) 1915-16 patrocinado por IYFR la fleet of Madrid y 7 Rotary Clubs de Madrid, el Club Rotario de Malindi en Kenya, el distrito 2201 y Rotary Interna onal Founda on a par r de una beca de IYFR por 1379,30€ conseguida por d la flota de Madrid que ha aportado 938€ adicionales, 7 Rotary Clubs de Madrid 7395$, y del distrito 2201 de 10.000$ , de la Rotary Founda on 15.000$, total de 35.000$. Como se puede ver intervienen múl ples organizaciones rotarias, que por lo general realizan este po de ac vidades, pero que son desconocidas por casi todo el mundo. En este caso la coordinación es del Rotary Club de Madrid Ptª de Hierro, del que seré presidente a par r de junio, e intervienen los clubs Madrid Serrano, Zurbaran, Cas lla, Norte, Majadahonda y Velázquez Internacional, con la ayuda del Asistente del Gobernador David Parras y con Miguel Angel Taus que se ocupa de la Fundación rotaria en el Distrito 2201. En España hay otros dos distritos con cerca de 300 clubs en total, que se dedican realizar subvenciones a terceros como la presente, y cuyo historial solo en este año 15-16, será de al menos 300 aunque hay muchos clubs que realizan varias subvenciones. Los rotarios ob enen el dinero, organizando eventos, torneos, cenas benéficas etc etc, además de sostenerse con los fondos que aportan regularmente los socios, siendo obligatorio reunirse una vez a la semana para comer o cenar. Los nombres de los integrantes de los clubs son públicos y están en las guías de distrito, con detalle de mails y teléfonos, solo pueden dedicarse a hacer el bien a terceros y esta específicamente prohibido aprovecharse a favor propio de cualquier ventaja que se pudiera obtener salvo la amistad, el ocio y la cultura. Como quiera que no debe saber tu mano derecha lo que hace la izquierda son grandes desconocidos salvo en las ciudades o pueblos pequeños, se dis nguen por reunirse en hoteles en los que figura la rueda rotaria, que significa que los cargos rotan ya que los presidentes y demás miembros de
1.-pruebas o detección de patologías: Detección de enfermedades en la población 90 infan l (50.000) iden ficar importantes problemas de salud y prestaciones de salud en las salidas del Hospital con la mano de obra y equipos para el diagnós co de diversas enfermedades, por ejemplo la tuberculosis. La intención de mantener un registro de fecha de inmunizaciones necesarias en cada aldea para una visita a esta ciudad cuando sea necesario. Intentos para involucrar a la ciudad que son los que enen la responsabilidad de traer niños revacunados 2.-estudio de la desnutrición: 3.-inmunizaciones: Inmunización de los niños en el distrito de conformidad con el calendario oficial de vacunación de Kenia, incluyendo tétanos, di eria, tos ferina, polio, varicela, sarampión y tuberculosis 4.-desparasitación: 5.-educación para la salud: 6.-prevención de la ceguera: 7.-detección de VIH: Para la detección temprana de pacientes VIH es necesario una prueba de diagnós co rápido a todos los niños con la presunta par cipación del VIH o con patología concomitante o antecedentes familiares. 8. - detección de enfermedades del corazón: Auscultación cardiaca de los niños se realizará a aquellas personas con sospecha de cardiopa a en la unidad de Cardiología del hospital. Esta campaña comunitaria 2015-16 será llevada a canbo por el PABLO HORSTMANN HOSPITAL pediátrico de la ONG ANIDAN. 1.-número de beneficiarios directos: 55.000 niños, que es el niño toda la población del distrito de Lamu. 2.-número de beneficiarios indirectos: 105.000, toda la población del distrito de Lamu, dado que para hospital familia todos los s e r v i c i o s s e h a n co nve r d o e n u n s e r v i c i o e s e n c i a l . 3.-aproximadamente 250 a 350 beneficiarios de la unidad de VIH al año, que potencialmente podrían ser muchos más, porque eso será una proyección masiva para el VIH. 4.-esperamos más de 4000 pacientes vacunados en unidad de vacunación gracias a esta extraordinaria campaña marí ma con nental.
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5.-aproximadamente 65 pacientes en la unidad de Cardiología se es mó en 2015 para 2016. 6.-8.000 pacientes con la campaña extraordinaria marí ma con nental. Está creciendo la par cipación de la población beneficiaria en el proyecto, dado que ya consideran que es un servicio esencial a su comunidad. Rotary Interna onal es una Organización internacional de servicio cuyo propósito es reunir a líderes empresariales y profesionales universitarios y no universitarios, con el fin de prestar servicios humanitarios en sus comunidades, promover elevadas normas de é ca en todas las ocupaciones y contribuir a fomentar la buena voluntad y la paz en el mundo.
Los rotarios, organizados en más de 200 países y regiones geográficas, llevan a cabo proyectos para abordar los problemas del mundo actual, incluidos: el analfabe smo, las enfermedades, la pobreza y el hambre, la falta de agua potable y el deterioro del medio ambiente, a la vez que fomentan la aplicación de elevadas normas de é ca en sus respec vos campos. El número de rotarios asciende a más de 1.200.000, que son miembros de más de 33.000 clubes rotarios que se distribuyen en más de 200 países y regiones.Desde 1905, los rotarios prestan servicio voluntario para sa sfacer las necesidades de comunidades de todo el mundo.
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A MARITIME AND CONTINENTAL CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE OF CHILDREN IN LAMU ARCHIPELAGO AND SURROUNDING CONTINENTAL AREA (KENYA)
Sponsored by IYFR Madrid Fleet and 7 Rotary Clubs of Madrid, The District 2201 and Rotary Interna onal Founda on raised funds star ng from a Grant of IYFR for 1379.30€ from the Madrid Fleet 938€, Rotary Clubs of Madrid 7395$, from the District 10.000$, from the Rotary Founda on 15.000$, total 35.000$ The main ac vi es of these medical campaign are basically focusing on the use of a boat ambulance and the realiza on of visits to all the islands of the archipelago of Lamu and the con nent: Specific to improve health and prevent mortality associated with preventable infec ous diseases and heart disease, in the child popula on of Lamu. 1.-Tes ng or 'screening' of pathologies: Detec on of diseases in the 90% child popula on (50.000) iden fying important problems of health and providing health care in the Hospital outlets with the workforce and kits for diagnosis of various diseases for instance tuberculosis, intends to keep a record of required immuniza ons date in each village for a visit to this town when necessary. A empts to involve the town so are they who bear the responsibility of bringing re-vaccinated children. 2.- Study of malnutri on: 3.-Immuniza ons: Immuniza on of all children in the district in accordance with the vaccina on official schedule from Kenya, including tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, chickenpox, rubella and tuberculosis
6.- Preven on of blindness: 7.-HIV Screening: For the early detec on of pa ents HIV is necessary a rapid diagnos c test to all children with suspected involvement HIV or with concomitant pathology or family history. 8.- Screening of heart disease: Cardiac ausculta on of children will be held to those with suspected heart disease in the Cardiology unit of the hospital. This community-based campaign 2015-16 will allow to the PABLO HORSTMANN Pediatric HOSPITAL of ANIDAN. 1.- Number of direct beneficiaries: 55,000 children, that is the en re child popula on of Lamu district. 2.-Number of indirect beneficiaries: 105,000, the en re popula on of Lamu district, given that for all family hospital services have become an essen al service. 3.-Approximately 250 to 350 beneficiaries of the HIV unit annually, which could poten ally be many more because that will be a massive screening for HIV. 4.- We hope more than 4000 pa ents vaccinated at vaccina on unit thanks to this extraordinary campaign mari me-con nental. 5.- Approximately 65 pa ents in the cardiology unit we es mated during 2015 to 2016. 6.- 8,000 pa ents with the mari me-con nental extraordinary campaign.
4.-Deparasita on: 5.-Health educa on:
The par cipa on of the beneficiary popula on in the project is growing, given that they already consider that it is an essen al service to their community.
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Sailing in Croa a at the Rotary Rega a with IYFR
by Andre Gorgemans ITR sailboat could enter too. This was the case for many Rotarians. For example the Bavaria 46 Maslinova (the boat I sailed on) joined the rega a under the club Ljubljana Carniola and was skippered by Ales Musicc (a Slovenian Rotarian).The other crew members were another Slovenian Rotarian from the same club as Ales, two German Rotarians from the Ingolstadt Rotary club and three Swiss fleet members from the Mar gny Rotary club. Marko Murn the regional Commodore for the Balkans was the coordinator on behalf of the IYFR for spreading the news amongst the European fleets. The entering fees a er deduc on for the chartering costs will be used for humanitarian ac ons. The sailing and all organiza onal procedures of this rega a were organized under the 2009 ISAF rules.
The Rotary Club Ljubljana Carniola organizes each year the tradi onal humanitarian sailing Rega a for all Rotarians and their friends. This was the 10th consecu ve year that such a rega a was organized. This year's sailing rega a took place from Saturday May 30th un l Tuesday June 2nd, on the beau ful route: Split – Milna– VIS – Hvar (Palmizana) – Split. Rotary clubs could enter one or more boats with a minimum number of five sailors, one of them must be Rotarian.The crew consisted of sailors from different rotary clubs while the Holding club will receive the Winning Cup. Rotarians from clubs without their own
Sailing boats were divided into three compe on classes: the Bavaria 46 class with 6 boats, the Hanse 445 with 10 boats and the Open class with 5 boats. Awards were given by classes and also there were awards for the overall ranking. There were in total 150 sailors par cipa ng in this rega a amongst them 2 Turkish crews who sailed brilliantly in their class, German, Croa an and Norwegian and naturally a great majority of Slovenian crews who were organizing the event in the Croa an waters. It was truly a picture perfect event with a wonderful friendly Rotarian atmosphere amongst the par cipants. As an example, on board of Malisnova 4 na onali es were represented and the IYFR spirit was a true reflec on of fun, sailing experience and friendship. Thank you for the organizers for this wonderful experience. See you next year.
Trophee - Boat Maslinova - 3rd in Bavaria 46category and 8 overall (21 boats in total) The Rega a
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Concentra on during the race.
Happy hour on Maslinova
The Maslinova's crew: from le to right: 1st row: Till, Ales - second row: AndrĂŠ, Philipe, Frank, Roger & Damian
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Tradi onal Slovenian Rotary rega a Carniola 2015 has beaten all expecta ons
By Marco Murn Humanitarian sailing rega a took place from May 30th to June 2nd on the beau ful Adria c route: Split – Šolta – VIS – Hvar – Split in Middle Dalma a. This year we sailed in two monotype classes of Hanse-445 and Bavaria-46. There were 21 boats with 154 Rotarians. This big response brought quite an issue to organizers to find enough space in marinas and restaurants on the islands.
We were lucky with sun and warm sea, but not so much with wind. Only light breezes were those days available to us. Experienced rega a commi ee shortened the two long orienteering legs and with technical poles we succeeded to race 4 mes. The spirit of interna onal mixed crews was on very high level and the warm atmosphere on evening par es built new friendships among par cipants.
Every year more IYFoRians from abroad join us. This year we had friends from Sweden (2), Switzerland (3), Germany (12) and Turkey (12). The rest were members of IYFR Slovenia fleet and Slovenian Rotary clubs.
While we enjoyed three delicious culinary dinners with live music and fun, we did not forget to our Rotarian mission. This year we collected significant funds for helping to handicapped swimmer Aleš Sečnik buying an adapted car. More will tell the photos…
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JADRANJE ZA JUTRI – SAILING FOR TOMORROW
Slovenian IYFR fleet has coordinated the financing of educa onal and therapy project JADRANJE ZA JUTRI (Sailing for tomorrow) from May 26 to May 30, 2015. We have collected 6.300 Euro from IYFR Interna onal, Rotary District 1912 Slovenia and 3 Rotary clubs Ško a Loka, Medvode and Idrija. The project was supported from IYFR Grant (2000$), Rotary District 1912 Slovenia (1000€), RC Ško a Loka (1000€), RC Medvode (1000€), RC Idrija (500€), IYFR Slovenia-Generali (1000€) and addi onal 4000€ collected from smaller sponsors. We had very good media support on web sites, daily news and even main Slovenian broadcas ng.
With addi onal dona ons from local sponsors the sailing club Sappa with their voluntary skippers realized the sailing of 36 children with special needs from 7 Slovenian schools. During 4-days sailing around Pula (South Istria), Croa a the children have learnt how to live on the boat and prac ce basic sailing skills. Some of them even first me visited the sea, but for all it was their life experience. They had to develop their team spirit and they were very mo vated to par cipate in all the ac vi es.
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All par cipants (36 children, 12 teachers/companions and 13 skippers) embarked the boats at marina Veruda in Pula. A er cabin accommoda on skippers introduced basic parts of the boats and gave important instruc ons. Six sailing boats one by one le their berths and on open sea raised their sails.
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An hour and half of sailing finished at anchorage in a nearby bay where a word »swim« made magic of jumping to the water. But not only never ending jumping, also paddling on SUPs and rowing with tenders occupied children so much that they almost did not have me for lunch. A ernoon breeze helped them to sail back to marina, where a real barbeque dinner took place. The children had to prepare skewers and »cevapcici«. You would not believe how tasty they were.
Next wonderful sunny morning a er breakfast the first marine lesson started. With support of teachers the children had to fill their working notebooks with marine topics. Everybody was looking forward to next sailing trip. And it came even more. Sailing to islands Brioni, a ride with touris c train through their wonderful natural park with many wild, visi ng zoo, and sailing and swimming. Another day finished with the visit of Poseidon, the God of Sea and the pirate Captain Hook with his parrot Koki who bap zed the par cipants and requested their sailors' oath.
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Other days of sailing and marine lessons were enriched also with launching the bo les of individual wishes, visit of magician Mister Lee, self organized evening discotheque and self baked pancake party. Croa an children with special needs from Pula joined for a concert of Equal Chances and the farewell came too soon. Last evening every school prepared their short performance, best sailor of each crew, and best completed notebook author were awarded.
What to add? Nobody is so big, that he will never need a help and nobody is so small, that he cannot give a help. Such projects not only make children happy, but we also beneďŹ t out of them. They simply make meaning to our life. Sparks in the eyes of children will tell you this...
In the name of children, we would like to thank to all donators ! Marko Murn, Regional Commodore for IYFR Balkans
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Proud Grandpa
by
e Editorial Team
First born of daughter Micol and first granddaughter beau ful Sofia Penelope of CoS Luigi. A proud and Happy Dad and Grandpa. Not in photo and probably the one taking the picture is Grandma Annarita who must be as ecsta c. Welcome to the Club!
IYFR IZMIR FILOSU CHECK THIS PAGE OUT: h ps://iyfrizmir.shu erfly.com/#
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AREA 2 NEWS Sao Paolo Convention 2015
By RC Angie Mesistrano
The RI conven on 2015 took place in Sao Paulo city, Brazil. This is an extroverted, cheerful and colorful inner city. It is the cradle of world carnival. Our booth 186 in the House of Friendship was well located, was decorated with pictures of rega a, tall ships and a map with the loca on of each of the 111 fleets currently make up our fellowship. We received many visits to our booth, ques ons, accessions, new registra ons and interested in forming new fleets. Following our booth it was located sample of the Sea Scouts. This is a successful program developed by the Chile Puerto Varas fleet. The three young members spent four days magnificent, salu ng with sailor whistle, do nau cal knots teaching, projec ng images of their ac vi es and making new friends Interact with youth from different countries. In our booth he has reigned usual camaraderie and all cooperated by shi s of two hours to serve those visi ng us. Monday 8 am in the same hotel where we stayed, we had our AGM and evening, the gala dinner and exchange authori es of our fellowship. For those who know our tradi ons, it was an emo onally charged ceremony. We feel the joy of seeing good health in IVC Jun and gree ng with affec on and recogni on for his excellent work in the last two years our IC Sergio. Par cipa ng for the first me the gala dinner several IYForians, they were impressed by our ceremony. It honoring the Sea Scouts with their gree ng. The tradi onal exchange of epaulets and necklaces was gree ng with applause. We hear the beau ful words of farewell Sergio IC, IVC message Jun taking over our fellowship and acceptance gree ng of IRC Robert Burns who joined the EC. The whole package that included the hotel and use their facili es to those already men oned, in addi on to the PCC events were organized by Cesare Or s. He is a professional of tourism and Fleet mariner Rome. Cesare has done a magnificent job and impeccable. Our thanks to his effort and dedica on. Thanks to Cesare we relax and enjoy an impeccable organiza on. No complaints. The reason? Here in South America have a habit. Who complains should compensate. How? Dancing a Brazilian Samba.
Sea Scouts Program Report Fleet IYFR Chile Puerto Varas Rotary Conven on 2015 Sao Paulo Adults in Charge 1. Walter Eaglehurst . Fleet Commodore 2. Sergio Cárcamo Fleet Vice Commodore Scouts members: 1. Cris an Peña 2. Rafael Pessot 3. William Eaglehurst Advance prepara on: -Dra ing And prin ng two special brochures for the Conven on. -Recording Video for conven on. -Prepara on Of new pins. -Prepara on Of samples knots and keychains gi s, by 20 scouts. - Six sessions prepara on classes training in English for the scouts . Day 05/06/2015. Arrival To Sao Paulo. Day 6/06/2015. 9:30 Welcome Creden als and Assembly Stand. Stand consisted of two Banners, one of the Sea Scouts and other Fleet. A flag IYFR grouping, provided by the group, a desk, two chairs, sample different knots made by the boys, a video projected permanently while we load the ba eries, two booklets in English publicizing the ac vi es, and invi ng the Rotarians to join our group and Rotanautas to carry out this program. Numerous key chain holder with knots for gi s, made by the sea scouts. The stand was feathering our pennant for all around. The scouts were in uniform during all the days of the conven on. Public a en on: The Hours to the public was daily from 9:30 to about 17:00 hrs (Some days the number of visitors was un l 18:00 hrs and the last day only un l 16 pm)
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General explana on to the public concerned: Work being done by scouts, performing service ac vi es in their program consis ng of instruc on, explana on of sailor knots , showing the video, answer ques ons, etc. One of the most a rac ve and appealing to the public thing, was the sailor ceremony honors whistle, which is performed every 30 minutes, as convened public. The public as a result of this o en asked to take pictures with the boys and their growing program informa on requested. Many Rotarians from different countries of the world and from all con nents, who visited our booth curiosity, unaware of our group and learned how beau ful is our Fellowship. There were several Rotarians interested in implemen ng the program of marine scouts in their clubs, who were urged to form a fleet. All were referred to the Comodoro Regional Angie, for more informa on and record contact informa on. Was so interested contacts with Brazil, USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argen na, Australia and in three regions of Chile were made. All the IYForians were very loving with the boys, they are also very interested in the program and made them feel good. He drew a en on also numerous visits of Interactors and Rotaractors, from various countries, interested in learning seamanship, permanently visited the stand were many ques ons, and were photographed with them.
We also received a request from Rotary TV, based in Miami USA, to access a copy of the Sea Scouts video. We were able to increase our fleet crew Puerto Varas in Chile IYForian, thanks to Angie management. Conclusion: The experience was very posi ve, valuable and enriching, the boys sized up the real magnitude what Rotary in turn could know more about our group, were able to share directly with the highest authori es IYFR Interna onal Bridge, and par cipate in the change of command ceremony. They managed to convey and share their nau cal knowledge acquired during this year of instruc on. But it is also good to take advantage of self-cri cism, to be be er prepared, and op mize the presenta on in the event that a new opportunity to repeat it. - Start preparing young people, with three months prior to the event - In case of having its own stand again for scouts, make design more advance, as were many good ideas that you can apply to have a booth to project our program even be er. - Integrate these young people formally Interact, to be part of the Rotary organiza on. Walter Eaglehurst Fleet Commodore Chile Puerto Varas Fleet
Meet and Greet at Churrascaria los Bovinos
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House of Friendship
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Annual General Mee ng Chaired by RC Angie Mesistrano. IVC Jun Avecilla making the mee ng in the nick of me as it starts gets a warm welcome hug from Sergio and kind applause from the group.
GALA DINNER HIGHLIGHTS Handover Ceremonies
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RC OYIE VALARAO INSTALLED AS HEAD OF PHILIPPINEREGION AND A MEMBER OF THE IB 2015-2017
RC DAVIDHANSEN AND RC ANGIE MESISTRANO RECEIVES THE FISHING BOAT REPLICA “SAKAYAN” AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR THEIR FLEET'S PERSONAL AND KIND DONATION TO THE FISHERMEN VICTIMS OF TYPHOON YOLANDA. THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE LAST OF THE MANY RECEPIENTS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE TOKEN OF APPRECIATION IN EARLIER CONVENTIONS.
DG Paolo Raschiaturo presented and pinned by IC Sergio of the IYFR pin.
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Scout Salute and Fun, Fellowship and Laughs
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Paraty, Angra, Dos Reis and Rio De Janeiro Post Convention Affairs
PARATY. ANGRA, DOS REIS AND RIO DE JANEIRO POST CONVENTION AFFAIRS
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POST CONVENTION AFFAIRS
By RC Angie Mesistrano
A er comple on of our official ac vi es at the conven on began our Post Conven on Cruise. The first day we traveled to a Portuguese colonial town with its typical houses with les and colorful boats moored in the river. In the evening we reached the beau ful city of Angra dos Reis. We se led in the Vila Gale Eco Resort, where we enjoyed excellent service, a private bay and could, the next day, sharing a relaxing day in the sun with 29 °. On the day a er traveling to the port to board a “Escuna”. This is a typical boat of the place in which we sail to a beau ful island where we had lunch in a typical restaurant on the beach. In the a ernoon we had come back and have embarked on the road to Rio de Janeiro city. Was wai ng for us an exquisite dinner at an excellent hotel that had been checked by Cesare for our enjoyment. On the fourth day we met the iconic sights of Rio de Janeiro. His impressive Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, from where we have a fantas c view of the city and its bay. Later we met its modern cathedral, visit the Pan de Azucar which we accessed by cableway and in the evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner in a typical Churrascaria where between gree ngs, songs and hugs we said goodbye un l next year when we will find in Seoul. In me different feelings found. Some of happiness through the beau ful moments shared with friends around the world and other some nostalgia because we must await a year to repeat another fun PCC. But while we await, we have 365 days to work for the be erment of our beloved fellowship accompanying IC Jun. My personal experience, accompanying IC Sergio and Cesare in organizing this mee ng, our booth, the AGM, the gala dinner and the PCC has been superb and enriching. I enjoyed escor ng the planning and implementa on of IC Sergio and Cesare. I am happy to have had this opportunity and to have been given receive in our Region South America to IYForians worldwide. Bus Trip to Paraty
Late Lunch, Dance, Caiperinhas and Sights at Paraty
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Vila Gale Resort
Agra Dos Reis Sights
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Karaoke and Dance Night, Lovey Dovey and 50th Anniversary Celebra on
Itacaruca Wet and Wild Cruise and more Caiperinhas
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Rio De Janiero, Ipanema Sights
Farewell Dinner
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The Seattle Rotary Mariners
Check this page out: h p://sea lerotarymariners.org/Mariners/Welcome.html
SOCAL NEWPORT HARBOR BACKBAY CLEANUP JUNE 12
By Guy Harden On Facebook https www facebook com groups IYFR NB Low de so we only retrieved 500 lbs of debris from Newport BackBay. Thanks volunteers: UCI Rotaract; Orange Coast College; IYFR Rotary Fellowship; Scout troop645; Shane Cowan Rotary District 5320; Cartwright & Linda Sheppard Culver City Rotary. Support from NIRC, IYFR Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship IYFR.SoCal; Kayaks supplied by Newport Aqua c Center & Southwind Kayaks. #WeAreRotary Mark your calendar: Join next fun kayaking cleanup Sat July 11th.
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AREA 3 NEWS The Hong Kong Fleet Fellowship Activities
By
e Editorial Team
On May 17 the Hong Kong Fleet and friends led by FC Chris Fung, PFC Cassidy Lam, PFC Alice Liu and Alex Hung con nue its sailing/cruising and fellowship ac vi es having great mes at Clear Water Bay and with 2 boats from IYFR and 3 boats from RC Central met at Po Toi O for seafood lunch on June 5. On both occasions everyone had a happy gathering for all! (Like and follow IYFR Hong Kong Fleet on Facebook)
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A Cruise of a Lifetime
By Grahame Werrel
Bob Moxham and Cheryl and Liz and I went on a three week cruise on the 6 Star magnificent ship Seabourne Odyssey in April. The journey started in Dubai down the Gulf of Oman calling first port of Khasab in Oman and therea er to the port of Salalah. We walked over 7 miles on rocky paths on an exhaus ng but memorable experience in Petra. Despite erosion and over2000 years of archeological wonders the detail is s ll very good. Apparently there is some 5 meters of unearthed carving to someday be uncovered, when they work out how to preserve them. A er some 4 days cruising some 4000 miles through the Arabian Sea in convoy with about 35 other ships we arrived in Al'Aqabah Jordan. Next ports were Ashdod and Haifa in Israel on the Red Sea (No it’s not red) then entered the Suez Canal through to the Med and visited the island of Santorini and finally docked in Piraeus in Greece for the culmina on of the trip. We then took a flight from Athens to Istanbul in Turkey. It is a surprising country which deserves a separate story at another me. A photo of our balloon flight over Cappodicia which involved a spectacular 150 balloons all flying at the same me. You should try this cruise for once in your life me experience.
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Queensland Fleet
The Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians is a group dedicated to promo ng Yach ng/Boa ng as an opportunity for fellowship.
Issue 10 – June 2015 May Mee ng – Colmslie Hotel/Motel 28 May, 2015 Commodore Pat Galligan welcomed 18 members, first mates and guests. First Mates were represented by Joan Bailey. Guests were Bruce and Beverly Tyrell and Bruce Fleming from the Brisbane Coast Guard and Andrew Campbell. Apologies were received from Bruce Dore, Bruce Douglas, Peter Heathwood, Bob Keers, John Odlum, John Penglis and Greg Windsor.
Past Interna onal Commodore Bert Collins Erwin Spork reported on a recent contact he had from PIC Bert Collins regarding correspondence Bert had had with the present Interna onal Commodore Sergio San . Report on the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race PC Jim Fern gave a report on the recent Brisbane to Gladstone Race. The increasing cost of compe ng in the race was reflected in the small fleet numbers – 31 monohulls and 16 mul hulls. The breeze at the start was a 15 knot easterly and
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and the fleet got off to a good start and Jim's boat, Hasta La Vista, was doing 20 knots when they passed Double Island Head. However, slamming into the big seas with a large reaching headsail set resulted in a broken prodder pole. Without the prodder pole a spinnaker couldn't be set and this slowed progress. The situa on was compounded when at 05.30 on Saturday when they were close to Lady Elliot Is the wind dropped to 1 knot. But, Jim and his crew persevered and crossed the finish line in 9th place but last on handicap. Jim concluded by saying that he was looking forward to next year. Commodore Pat Galligan thanked Jim for his report and wished him well for next year's race. Australian Volunteer Coast Guard PC John Burke introduced guest speaker Beverly Tyrell. Beverly is a member the Brisbane Coast Guard – QF2. Beverly described the opera on of the flo lla which is based at the Manly boat harbour. The flo lla has 100 volunteer members and 10 vessels. Opera ons cover Moreton Bay and waters extending 50Kms offshore. Members are trained by the Dept. of Marine and are required to pass examina ons to the Competent Crew level. Beverly described some of the rescues that the Brisbane Coast Guard has undertaken. On average they carry out one assist each day of the year. In bad weather they are o en called on to make medical evacua ons from islands when the pa ent can't be transported by air. During the 2011 Brisbane flood they provided rescue services and assistance to the police over several days opera ng in the Brisbane River upstream to the city centre. Their services have been recognised in the community and members of the flo lla have been awarded 44 Australia Na onal Emergency Medals. When they are not engaged in rescue opera ons members are kept busy with boat maintenance, radio du es and training. Beverly's talk was illustrated by graphic photographs many of which were taken during opera ons. PC David Cameron thanked Beverly for her talk and commented that as a boat owner it was comfor ng to know that the Coast Guard was on the job. This comment was warmly endorsed by those present. Issue 9 – May 2014 April Mee ng – Colmeslie Hotel/Motel 30 April, 2015 Commodore Pat Galligan welcomed seven members. Apologies were received from Michael Bailey, John Burke , Bruce Dore, John Ferguson, Jim Fern, John Odlum, Eddie Richards and Graeme Rylance. ANZAC photographs and World War 1 Memories Commodore Pat Galligan presented a slide show of ANZAC photographs and later in the mee ng presented a short talk on the World War 1 memories of his family. PC Bob Keers thanked Commodore Pat for his presenta ons. Bob's comments were warmly supported. IYFR Rule Changes Commodore Pat Galligan led a discussion on the proposed amendments to the IYFR GENERAL RULES, IYFR PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS and IYFR FLAGS, UNIFORMS and BOATING PRACTICE. Each amendment was discussed in turn and voted on.
n all cases the vote was unanimously in favour of the proposed amendment. In several cases the vote in favour also recommended changes in the proposed wording. It was also recommended that several addi onal defini ons were added to the GLOSSARY AND MEANINGS and INTERPRETATIONS & DEFINITIONS. An ar cle numbering error was also found. It was agreed the secretary Bob Greenelsh should advise RC G ra h a m e We r re l l t h e re s u l t s o f t h e v o n g a n d t h e recommenda ons. Changes to the Queensland Fleet Rules Secretary Bob Greenelsh advised the mee ng that assuming that the proposed amendments to the IYFR Rules were accepted at the IYFR General Mee ng at Sao Paulo on 8 June it will be necessary for amendments to be made to the Queensland Fleet Rules. The required amendments are firstly, to change the designa ons of honorary member and life member to Associate member and Honorary member respec vely and secondly, to modify the qualifica on for Commodore and Vice Commodore to allow for either an Associate member or a Honorary member to hold these posi ons. It is proposed that a vote on the amendments will be held at the Fleet's mee ng on Thursday 25 June. Issue 8 – April 2015 March Mee ng – Colmslie Hotel/Motel 26 March, 2015 Rear Commodore David Fox welcomed 10 members and one First Mate – Joan Bailey. Apologies were received from David Cameron, John Ferguson, Pat Galligan, Peter Heathwood, John Penglis, Erwin Spork and Greg Windsor. Tasmania Adventure Rear Commodore David Fox introduced PC Bruce Dore and invited him to give a report on the recent trip to Tasmania. Highlights of the trip were shown on photos taken by Sheryl Windsor. The trip to Tasmania was made by Bruce and Joanne Dore, Greg and Sheryl Windsor, Bruce and Heather Douglas, Bob Greenelsh and guests Don Cameron and Elizabeth Power. Bruce began by describing the Wooden Boat Show and its related ac vi es including restaurants and the combined IYFR mee ng at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. This was followed by an entertaining review of the post-Hobart tour beginning with a cool visit to the top of Mt. Wellington before driving to Strahan. Two nights were spent in Strahan to allow me for a boat trip on Macquarie Harbour and an inspec on of the convict ruins on Sarah Is. A er leaving Strahan the drive con nued to Cradle Mountain with stops at the old mining towns of Zeehan, Rosebery and Waratah including museum inspec ons. The next day the team's fitness was tested by the walk around Dove Lake with frequent stops to admire the views. From there the drive proceeded in a generally north-westerly direc on to Stanley which juts out into Bass Strait. One objec ve for the trip was for Sheryl to enjoy a lobster dinner and this box was cked at Stanley. The next morning a er a short trip to Smithton the tour turned east and headed for
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Launceston with stops at Burnie and Penguin. A er two nights at Launceston the tour concluded with a drive up the Tamar Valley to Beaconsfield, Low Head and George Town. Bruce Douglas rounded off the talk by telling the story of “The Boat That Never Was” which led into a very interes ng general discussion.
events at the northern end of The Bay. Bruce Douglas described a successful Fleet adventure some years ago where dinghies were used to explore Breakfast Creek. Michael Bailey proposed a sightseeing trip on a CityCat followed by lunch. And, Bob Keers suggested that the Jazz Club would be a good venue for a Fleet func on.
Ques ons for Next Year Rear Commodore David Fox opened a discussion on possible Fleet ac vi es for next year. In par cular David would like to see more involvement of First Mates. Ideas being considered include: Sunday lunches, evening dinners and weekend events. David also pointed out that the weather is an issue for boa ng
When he closed the discussion RC David Fox said that all ideas are welcome and he will be grateful for any sugges ons. Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race News PC Jim Fern skippered Hasta La Vista in the mul hull race and crossed the finish line on Sunday 5 April at 13.25. We look forward to Jim's report.
111th IYFR Dragon Fleet
By FM Elvira Bautista PP William Rogando of the Rotary Club of Manila of the Philippine's prime Rotary District 3810 received the Chartering Documents from IC Sergio San and IVC Jun Avecilla on behalf of Gov. Edmond Aguilar at the AGM Gala Dinner at the Hotel WZ Jardins on June 8, 2015 in Sao Paolo. Gov. Aguilar who unfortunately could not make it to the historic ceremony because of a last minute family emergency will assume as the Commodore and PP William as his Vice Commodore. Gov. Aguilar makes a milestone as the First Governor to assume as a Charter Commodore of a Fleet in the IYFR history and the first Charter done in the Gala Dinner at the IYFR AGM Conven on. On June 25, 2015 Gov. Aguilar held the formal Induc on Ceremonies of his Fleet and his Installa on as well as that of his Bridge at the Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Palace In Pasay City that was Officiated by Incoming RC Oyie Valarao. FC Aguilar sees an expansion of Fleets in other regions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia and promised to use his influence to en ce his peers of neighboring districts and to set up fleets in their respec ve clubs and places. He has also set the last Monday evening of each month as the Fleet Fellowship gathering occasion.
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Area 3 AGM in Auckland in Feb 2016
RC David Hansen has recently announced at the AGM in Sao Paolo the tenta ve Schedule of the Area 3 AGM star ng with an Informal Meet and Greet followed by a dinner on February 3. The actual AGM will be in the morning of Feb 5 and Gala Dinner at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Various ac vi es on February 4 and 6 that include a harbour cruise on Ken Winter's Pacific Mermaid, Day on the water around the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, free days for shopping and sightseeing (list of sugges ons will be available as well as Auckland Fleet members to help with transport and accompaniment if necessary), cocktails and dinners in interes ng places. Culmina ng the event on February 7 will be a cocktails and Farewell dinner downtown. Official IYFR event at an end on February 8 but if delegates wish to travel to other places in NZ there will be plenty of informa on available but members need to make their own arrangements. Cos ngs are being finalised and will be available as soon as possible by the next issue of the Rotafloat. Accordingly February 6-8 is a long weekend in celebra on of Waitangi Day and it is the weekend of the Rugby League Nines compe on...so the city will be busy and buzzing! David advises that it would be very helpful to have some indica on of numbers if possible at this stage. We suggest bookings for flights be made sooner than later knowing The Nines are on and how much the Aussies love their League. Sergio and Laura have signified their inten ons to a end travelling to the Philippines beforehand with Jun and Lil prior to Auckland. For more informa on: Contact David Hansen at davidlizhansen@gmail.com. ONE THING IS CERTAIN AT THIS STAGE: THE DATES FEBRUARY 3-8, 2016. PLEASE MARK IT ON YOUR CALENDAR
Rotary Fellowship Month
Let me start this month of June with something more posi ve and refreshing than this very divisive BBL that has preoccupied us for several weeks now. June is a special month for a well known and highly esteemed interna onal civic organiza on universally recognized under the now famous name of “Rotary Interna onal.” For fellow Rotarians in the Philippines and all over the world, this month is the Rotary Fellowship Month. So it is mely and fi ng to share with you today pieces of good news about the fellowship of Rotarians and what it has contributed to humanity and to the world we live in. Actually, Rotary Clubs exist and grow stronger because of fellowship among their members par cularly during their weekly mee ngs. But aside from this kind of fellowship, Rotarians band together because of shared interest in some ac vi es, pas mes, arts, languages, and other programs or subjects. The first of this kind of Rotary Fellowship began
informally in 1928 when Rotarians with shared interest in language joined together. Then in 1947, Rotarian John G. Barre of the Brixton Rotary Club of London, England, conceived the idea of flying a burgee bearing the Rotary emblem on the masthead of his boat. Therea er, he enlisted the help of fellow Rotarians from his own club and other neighboring clubs and proposed a yach ng associa on of Rotarians which later became known as “The Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians.” The fellowship spread quickly all over Great Britain and eventually throughout the world, thus becoming “Interna onal.” Now, there are 64 Fellowships with 36,938 members in more than 180 countries worldwide. Commodore during the turnover ceremonies at a Gala Dinner in Hotel WZ Jardins, Sao Paolo. He will serve for two years from 2015-2017. A signal honor indeed not only for Filipino Rotarians but for all Filipinos.
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For the Quezon City District 3780 especially for the Rotary Club of Cubao West (RCCW), this fellowship month is more special because one of its Past Presidents, Jesus, “June” E. Avecilla will be the first Asian and Filipino who will take the helm and become the head of the largest and the longest exis ng Rotary Fellowship — the Interna onal Yach ng Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR). At present there are already 3,264 members of 110 IYFR Fleets located in 36 countries and speaking 26 different languages. On June 8, 2015 “Jun” Avecilla will be installed as the 38th Interna onal Commodore during the turnover ceremonies at a Gala Dinner in Hotel WZ Jardins, Sao Paolo. He will serve for two years from 2015-2017. A signal honor indeed not only for Filipino Rotarians but for all Filipinos. Jun Avecilla joined Rotary in 2005 and a ended the Rotary Interna onal Conven on in Chicago marking the 100th anniversary of the organiza on. At the conven on, he got interested and joined the IYFR. So when he became president of RCCW in 2009, he formed the first IYFR fleet in the Philippines by enlis ng the members of his club just like what John Barret did in 1947 in England. In a span of two years he was able to form four more Fleets with his fellow Presidents of the various club in District 3780 called the “Hands On” Fleet. Then other fleets in other clubs of the district were also formed, par cularly the “Rainbow Connec on” and Mabuhay fleet as well as in Mactan, Cebu under Rotary District 3860. Thus he was appointed Regional Commodore of the Philippine Fleets. In succeeding years he formed other fleets in D-3780 called Silver Presidents, Peace Presidents, First Class Presidents fleets. In D 3860, he also organized the San Remigio Fleet followed by the Subic Bay fleet in D-3790 Fleets. Because of the phenomenal rise in the number of Philippine fleets, Jun Avecilla was unanimously elected as Rear Commodore of the Interna onal Bridge in 2011 un l he became Interna onal Vice Commodore in 2013-2015. Jun Avecilla’s quick rise in the IYFR hierarchy was driven by his passion for sailing coupled with a genuine desire to help others. An avid sailor, keen compe tor and a yacht racing champion, he combines the principles of Rotary with his love of boats and the seas. He uses the shared interest in yach ng and seamanship as an opportunity to encourage and foster fellowship among Rotarians sharing his interests. IYFR’s main advocacies consist of the preserva on and apprecia on of nature through the sea; environmental cleanliness and the preserva on of coral reefs, clean waterways, and preven on of wanton disposal of garbage and non-biodegradable trashes which is crucial to Philippine biodiversity.
2008 with 400 volunteers along the beachfront of the Waterfront Road at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Last year, the cleanup expanded in conjunc on with the Interna onal Coastal Cleanup drive that drew over 55,000 volunteers from all walks of life. The clean up was carried out in 17 barangays in Olongapo City and 25 municipali es in the coastal towns of Zambales; from Subic Bay to Sta Cruz. It was the largest turnout of volunteers from all over the Philippines and is expected to get bigger every year because of the growing concern of the populace. At the a ermath of Super typhoon Yolanda the Philippine Fleet was among the first responders to aid the displaced vic ms par cularly in San Remigio in northern Cebu through the Cebu Fleet headed by RC Udo Pelkowski and FC Pros Schlackmuylders. IYFR was able to raise funds amoun ng to over $60,000 coming from members and from the funds of the various fleets. They were u lized to build 63 fishing boats that were distributed to various qualified fishermen in the area who have lost their means of livelihood. This month of June is also special for the IYFR because it will be the Chartering of its 111th Manila Dragon Fleet to be headed by District Governor Edmond Aguilar of the Rotary Club of Manila D-3810 as Fleet Commodore. This is historic because this is the first me that a current District Governor will at the same me be the Commodore of a Fleet thanks to the ini a ve of Regional Commodore Oyie Valarao. The chartering ceremony will be officiated by Interna onal Commodore Sergio San of Italy at the Gala Dinner at the Hotel WZ Jardins in Sao Paolo, Brazil. To be inducted with Gov. Aguilar are his Vice Commodore William Rogando and Rear Commodore Johnson Tan. It is noteworthy that four out of the nine Districts in the Philippines have membership in the IYFR in line with Jun Avecilla’s vision to have an IYFR Fleet in the country’s every district. With the enthusiasm of Gov. Aguilar who promises to help encourage his peers in forming more fleets in other districts par cularly in Mindanao, this may soon become a reality. As more and more officers and members of Rotary Clubs in the Philippines embark on the IYFR ship, the humanitarian fellowship among them is bound to reach new heights!
Recently the school received 6 FF15 sailboats to jumpstart the sailing school, donated by friends in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and shipped to Subic Bay. It now teaches underprivileged youths in Olongapo City how to sail and to upkeep the boats, so that someday, they may be able to use the skills acquired and gain employment as a crew or boat boys for maintaining yachts here and abroad. The other noteworthy project is the annual beach cleanup started in
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EDITOR'S FINAL NOTE
The past three months was the most hec c yet memorable and even ul quarter of the year for me. Lil and my odometer would have logged over 140,000 kilometers combined by the me we got home. That was usually the total of our travel for several years and there are six months and more expected travel to go. Anyway the journeys are rewarding with unforge able experiences in mee ng new acquaintances and being into places where Lil and I have never been before: star ng with Area 1 AGM in Naples on April 23-27 with PCCs in the Islands of Capri and Ischia. Therea er a long drive to Southern Italy with Sergio and Laura where stayed at a quaint 'Agroturirmo Ristorante' resort called Masseria Lacco in Lecce that is owned by their close friends. We drove further to scenic Taranto and Brindisi where we were joined by FRC Vincenzo and Eleanora Glase and took a ferry to Augumenitsa on April 29 for the Chartering of the first and historic Hellenic Ionian Fleet in Preveza, Greece on April 30. We stayed in Preveza up to May 3 enjoying excursions in Le ada, in picturesque town of Parga and historic sites in Acherontas and Nicropoli. The Grecian expedi ons were culminated by a five hour bus trip from Preveza to Athens. As we have never been there before, we spent a couple of extra days to tour the beau ful ancient city of Acropolis and its modern port of Piraeus. In Athens we were treated to special evening by Katerina and her husband George and Zeev to savor the tradi onal Greek meal in some best kept secret dining place in the old town. The side trips always prolong the whole excursions to take the opportunity to visit some old friends and rela ves here and there as we stopped over in Dubai before the whole trip ended and were back in Manila on May 9. Fate had it that the re na in my le eye had detached that I had to undergo an immediate vitrectomy on May 23 two days before Lil and I were supposed to leave to the US on May 25 on the way to Brazil for the AGM and PCC in Sao Paolo. As everything had been pre planned and booked Lil went ahead while my being able to leave hanged in des ny. Fortunately my doctor had given me the clearance to go two weeks a er the surgery and I was able to make it to Sao Paolo in the morning of June 8 barely making the start of the AGM. A er the conven on we had a pleasurable four days PCC in Paraty, Angra Reis and Rio de Janeiro therea er we flew to Houston to visit my siblings and then to Sea le where our eldest daughter Avery and her husband Chris an with our three grandkids just recently moved from St. Louis to Bellevue. The eye was periodically giving discomfort but otherwise also ge ng be er in me. The trip to Sea le accorded me the acquaintance and frui ul mee ng with most friendly George Futas a Past Commodore of the Sea le Mariners Fleet who is now its Secretary. He assured me of his con nuous invaluable services administering the bank account with Wells Fargo for Area 2, the annual registra on of the IYFR in the State of Washington and to help to improve the rela onship and rapport with the North America Fleets. He introduced and brought me to Past Commodore Mike Obyrne and his lovely wife Penny in their beau ful home by Lake Washington. There we had talked among other things ma ers of common passion about sailing and racing; his cruises to Alaska and victory in the renowned San Francisco Hawaii Trans Pacific Rega a on his Cal 40 Boomerang that was parked at a pier in their own backyard. By no means his magnificent Trans Pacific feat dwarfed my offshore triumphs in my Beneteau First 36.7 in our annual 200 mile Subic Bay to Boracay Interna onal Race although we have won it three mes. I was fortunate that George and Mike were able pull some strings to get me into their already fully booked Rotary Club President's Party for their outgoing Tom Be s that the Sea le Rotary Mariners annually host at the Sea le Yacht Club and had the great opportunity to meet Past Interna onal Commodore Bill Robinson and his charming wife Ka a. We had the chance to discuss briefly Bill serious concerns in the Fellowship that both of us fully understand. The conversa on with Ka a was very pleasant, relaxed and enjoyable ranging on various interests that perhaps helped diffused Bill's misgivings and enlivened my evening. I thank all of them for their warm welcome, courtesy, hospitality and support. It was also a pleasure to meet amiable FC Fedva Dickmen and seated at our table, Sue McNab, a world class sailor, having also sailed in the far north – among the ice channels in Northern Canada on expedi ons and with Mike in his boat. I men oned about our Philippine Rega as that she and Mike are welcome and perhaps in the future join. Commodore Paul Taggart of the Yacht Club graciously gave me a complete tour of its facili es and even invited my grandchildren to join their sailing program. We've rendezvoused with Roger and Glenda in Los Angeles where they were staying in a place in Redondo Beach on a home exchange. This is also the last leg of their trip a er two months all over the U.S. highlighted by their 6 weeks journey from Chicago tracing the historic Route 66 ending in Sta. Monica California. I have discussed with Roger as he is good in planning to help on the 2016 PCC in Seoul and he readily graciously agreed. We've had a great weekend on Saturday June 27 with FC Roger McGonegal, PFC Gary Hickman and Guy Harden who took us on a boat ride around the Balboa, Lido, Harbor, Collins and Bay islands in Newport Harbor in his Duffy 18 Electric boat that is so popular in the bay with literally thousands of them in various sizes from 16 to 22 feet while sipping Champagne and enjoying the cruise before a sumptuous lunch at the historic Cannery Seafood of the Pacific Restaurant. Roger, Glenda Lil and I truly enjoyed the unique and wonderful experience and thank them so much for the gracious hospitality and fellowship. We also met Roger's friend Ed and Terry Kushins who run HomeExchange in Hermosa Beach and had a nice Sunday morning stroll in the around the boardwalk and pier and brunch at nearby popular Hennesy's Café. Ed is a keen sailor and we got him interested to join the IYFR
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and I promised to give him an introduc on to the Newport Fleet. He has a handful of sailing co-Rotarians in Hermosa Rotary Club that he may eventually start a squadron or a fleet there which is the good fruit of the acquaintance. In between and during the travels we had completed the arduous process pu ng together and vo ng on the Proposed Amendments to the General Rules that I chair as mandated by the GR. The salient introduc ons are: 1) When necessary the IYFR may be registered in other countries by the incoming EC for purposes of opening a bank account in the name of the IYFR. 2) The CPC may inves gate ma ers of a serious and well-founded concern about any aspect of opera on, administra on or finances of IYFR. 3) The ITR to submit the final balance sheet and income and expenditure account for each year no later than September the 30th for approval. and well-founded concern about any aspect of opera on, administra on or finances of IYFR. 3) The ITR to submit the final balance sheet and income and expenditure account for each year no later than September the 30th for approval. 4) A Region may adopt and subsequently amend its own rules for the Region itself and the Fleets provided that such rules shall not conflict with the General Rules. 5) The posi on of FC may be held by a Past Commodore, Past Rotarian, Honorary or Associate member or a Rotaractor for limited period of me or a maximum term of two years subject to some proviso. 6) Introduc on of Associate Members 7) E-Fleet members (EM) and temporary berths in the World E-Fleet. 8) The incoming IC establishes and Chairs the Council on Legisla on comprising the Vo ng Panel. And 9) The amendments to the Procedures and Regula ons and Flags, Uniforms and Boa ng Prac ce that were mere logical amendments. The sta s cs showed that all the Amendments passed overwhelmingly. As an IYFR chapter draws to a close and a new one is about to begin I wish to acknowledge and thank IC Sergio for all his hard works, dedica on and leadership resul ng in many great accomplishments for the Fellowship. His numerous achievements set the bar to new heights that would be a hard act to follow. Although a few would not agree with him on the way he steered the ship he was steadfast in what he believes is good for the many and the organiza on. And whatever his detractors may say he has safely and soundly brought the ship into the port in a new horizon. I have known Sergio over the years as a person who means well and is a man full of good inten ons. I respect his decisions in the same manner as he respects and values my opinions. His ul mate policy has been: unless there is total agreement in the EC and that goes with Guillermo's concurrence too, no issue will pass. I am proud to have been his wingman and to say that he is like a brother to me. As he passes the Command I expect no less than his help and support in return. I am delighted to work with and welcome IRCA1C Bob Burns, our ITR Andre Gorgemans, Webmaster Lugi Norsa and all the members of the previous interna onal Bridge and Staff that are con nuing to help with the new one that I am sure will not mind if l no longer men on their names. I thank Nani for standing by his man and for the friendship and fraternal love accorded to Lil and myself. Sergio has plo ed and laid down good waypoints during his watch. I intend to follow and con nue the course and may the seas be calm in our next journey. There might be storms and high seas that we may encounter along the way but we will certainly try avoid it so that we can all enjoy a smooth ride. My credo is harmony and peace in all the Areas, that we are united as one in the true spirit of Rotary in one big happy ship. Let us all enjoy the fellowship, friendship and fraternity and have nothing but Fun Fun Fun. The Final Note meant that this is my last ar cle as the Editor of our Newsle er which I've held for the past two years. I thank Zeev Matar for graciously accep ng the challenge to take over the job. I know Zeev with his great enthusiasm and imagina on aside from his excellent wri ng skills will give us exci ng new edi ons of Rotafloat. I thank the Editorial Staffs for their superb services and trust them to con nue to extend the same to their new boss. As we are in our flight headed for home on June 30 this edi on would have been out and I hope that everyone is enjoying the read. I present here the Bridge for 2015-2017 for everyone's guidance and informa on. Sail On. MABUHAY!
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